BATON ROUGE, La. – The No. 24 LSU men’s tennis team (14-3, 4-2 SEC) will try to win their thirteenth consecutive home match this Friday when they play host to No. 13 Ole Miss (12-5, 4-2 SEC) at 5:00 p.m. CST in W. T. ‘Dub’ Robinson Stadium.
LSU is currently a perfect 13-0 at home as the team continues to navigate their final season at ‘Dub.’
“There is a lot of excitement with all of the great crowds we have been getting,”said head coach Jeff Brown. “Friday brings a great challenge with Ole Miss who has several ranked wins this year and is highly ranked. We will do our best to defend the streak.”
The Rebels already notched victories over No. 15 UCLA, No. 17 Vanderbilt and two victories against No. 20 Florida. Ole Miss has struggled on the road recently with losses coming at Alabama and Mississippi State.
Brown said the Rebels’ roster, which features No. 15 senior Nik Scholtz and No. 84 junior Stefan Lindmark, is very similar to the Tigers’ in that both teams have top-line talent and very deep rosters.
“We both have talent at the top as well as depth,” Brown said. “The doubles point is anyone’s game. [Ole Miss] looks a lot like us and both groups are familiar with each other.”
The Rebels also have a ranked doubles team in freshman Gustav Hansson and senior William Kallberg (45).
Friday’s match also serves as an opportunity for one team to gain a slight advantage in Southeastern Conference standings as both LSU and Ole Miss have a 4-2 SEC record.
With only six matches left in the season, several SEC teams will be jockeying for positioning in hopes of hosting during the SEC tournament.
“We assume every SEC match is a ranked opportunity,” Brown said. “We have put ourselves in position to host with a few more good wins.”
For up-to-date information and behind-the-scenes access on the Tigers, fans can follow the LSU men’s tennis team on Twitter and Instagram at @lsutennis and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lsutennis.